Terrell Buckley set former FSU QB E.J Manuel on the path to working for the ACC Network

Florida State fans will see a familiar face on the new ACC Network this fall.

Former FSU quarterback E.J. Manuel is joining the network as a studio analyst for football. The network will begin broadcasting on Aug. 22.

It's a process that started almost a year ago when Manuel's football career came to an end.

'When I got let go from Oakland In September, I did a meeting with a talent agency who told me about the network coming out this year," Manuel told the Tallahassee Democrat.

"And obviously, I was super excited about it because I played an ACC, past ACC champion and played in the ACC championship twice. So, obviously, being a Florida State guy, this was a perfect opportunity for me."

But really, the process started long before that.

FSU Hall of Fame cornerback and current Mississippi State defensive backs coach Terrell Buckley gave him some advice a decade ago that allowed him to get into this career path.

"Terrell Buckley was the first guy to put broadcasting or journalism in my mind," Manuel said.

"At first when I got to FSU I was doing biomedical engineering for like the first semester and then I switched into communications. And that was largely because of T-Buck. T-Buck was a guy that was around a program a bunch and trying to help guys. He had been there, done that. So, I listened to him. And I got my degree in communications, and that’s going to help me in this career."

Buckley set Manuel on the path by pointing out the success that other former quarterbacks were having broadcasting football. Tim Hasselback and Jesse Palmer were just a couple of the examples for him at the time.

So Manuel made the switch, and he's very glad that he did so.

"First thing he said was, 'Most quarterbacks go through their career, no matter how long they play, whether it's five years or 15 years in the NFL, and get into ESPN or talking football, whether it’s on a college or the NFL level,'" Manuel said.

"So I started thinking about it and I’m like, ‘Man, he's right.’ I started seeing these guys that have shown up on TV after playing the league, and then they move on to something else, because at the end of the day, you retire at 30 or 35, you're still a very young man, you still need to go and work.

"I don't care how much money you make. It's not about the money. It's more about the brain stimulation and the challenges and really paying it forward."

Manuel came to FSU from Virginia Beach, Va. as part of the Seminoles 2008 recruiting class. He played at FSU from 2008-12 before being drafted with the No. 16 pick in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.

He played five years in the NFL before hanging up his cleats for the final time prior to the start of the 2018 season. When he left the Raiders, he knew he needed something to do and getting into broadcasting was the obvious choice thanks to the advice that Buckley gave him.

Manuel will be in the studio for the ACC Network on Fridays and Saturdays during the fall. He will help preview and breakdown ACC football games on the network.

"Talking pre-and-post game," Manuel said.

"Going over highlights. I'm sure giving stories about what fans might want to look into before the game starts. But just strictly in-studio stuff."

Reach Wayne McGahee III at wmcgahee@tallahassee.com.

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